December 31, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 20, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 30: Pakistan cricket, in turmoil already due to the national team’s below-par performance in 2007, may be hit hard due to an Indian Cricket League (ICL) representative’s expected visit on Jan 12.

It is being said that the ICL chief selector Kiran More, the former Indian wicket-keeper, would be arriving here to scout for more Pakistani cricketers for the league. And he is also likely to hire players in bulk as the ICL management is working on fielding one team each for Lahore and Karachi in its second edition, beginning from March.

Reliable sources claimed that More’s visit was planned after several Pakistani cricketers, specially those without confirmed positions in the national team, showed an interest in signing with the ICL, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) banning six players already, not only from representing the national team but also their parent departments.

Including a Lahore and Karachi team in the ICL would increase its attraction for the spectators that has prompted the additional hiring of more players from Pakistan.

The PCB, last week, imposed a ban on six Test cricketers, namely, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Taufiq Umar, Shabbir Ahmed, Imran Farhat, Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood for joining the ICL, the first episode matches of which were played in Chandigarh. Some of the banned players are trying to get a stay order against the decision.

Sources told Dawn that even though some high-ups in the PCB were divided over the decision of banning the players, Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf, showing a zero tolerance policy, decided otherwise.